(Originally posted Jan 23, 2009)
Ugh... that was hard. So, like I said in my last note, I've been having a good bit of trouble staying energetic for my workouts the last week or so. I had done a little bit of reading on different supplements that might help me in that department, but the whole exercise/supplement industry is a bit overwhelming. There are so many stinkin' companies out there pushing the "next new thing", trying to make money before all else...and it makes it difficult to sort out what's what. Anyway, I went to eat dinner tonight at Whole Foods Market with the parentals, and while I was there I decided I would pick up a bottle of the Nitric Oxide supplement (meant for bringing energy to a workout) they carry since I figured it would be a little more natural than some of the alternatives out there. Well, aside from paying way too much for it, it seems that nitric oxide isn't really a good solution for cardio workouts! I was sweating like crazy, and felt like I had to drink a good gulp of water after every single exercise. I did survive, but man, I will reserve that stuff for weight training only from now on!
That said, on to the actual workout. Things have definitely improved since week 1, that much is certain! As you may remember, plyo made me throw up the first time I did it, and that wasn't remotely a concern this time...even though I felt like crap through it. I still have to take a few extra breaks at times (no more than a minute I would guess), but my form is better, and mentally I am now better able to keep going from exercise to exercise without keeling over :)
For Plyometrics X, the exercises are grouped into 6 rounds (each round consists of 4 different exercises, one after the other...the first 3 exercises of a round last for 30 seconds each, while the 4th exercise is a minute long; also, there is a 30 second break in between each of these rounds). Each round is repeated once before moving on to the next. The breakdown is as follows:
ROUND 1: Jump Squats; Run Stance Squats; Airborne Heisman (aka lateral leaping); Swing Kicks (these are hard! basically it involves standing in front of chair and swinging your legs, one at a time, over the top of it repeatedly)
ROUND 2: Squat Reach Jumps (these are basically the same as "jump squats", except you jump higher!); Run Stance Squats with direction switch (like the regular run stance squats, except on these you twist in the air each time); Double Airborne Heisman (this to me is one of the easier exercises....essentially, they're regular heismans with some extra footwork); Circle Run (you run your feet in a circle around a towel on the floor as fast as you can)
ROUND 3: Jump Knee Tucks (ugh! this is where it starts to get real); Jumping Lunges; Leapfrog Squats; Twist Combos (for these you sort of mime mogul skiing)
ROUND 4: Rock Star Hops (another of the toughest plyo moves...jump as high as you can repeatedly, kicking your butt with your feet); Gap Jumps (one foot, standing long jumps); Squat Jacks (jumping jacks, but with your butt close to the ground); Military March (don't even know how to describe these...kinda like marching Nazi/North Korean style in place)
ROUND 5: Run squats with 180 jump; Lateral Leap Frog (think basketball practice passing drills); Monster Truck Tire (extreme lateral jumping); Hot Foot (jumping on one foot)
ROUND 6 (BONUS ROUND, one minute each): Pitch & Catch (mimics baseball pitching); Basketball Jump Shots; Football (mimics those foot grid obstacle course type things that football players use in practice)
* This workout is hard!!!!!!!!
But....just keep pushing "play"
Tomorrow is my easy day: Shoulders & Arms
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